Thursday, December 27, 2012

Our Christmas Album

On Christmas Eve we all get dressed up in our party clothes. I have this thing for girls' Christmas dresses. I love browsing through all the styles and picking my favorites. Although I love the dress picking task, this year I let Callie pick her own dress. Knowing that she isn't a lover of dresses I wasn't sure what she would choose. She doesn't particularly like to wear dresses but she has come to the understanding that dresses are reserved for only very special times. I'll say that I was a little more than surprised at her pick because I don't think she could have found a fancier choice. And I will admit that I used to have this little thing about dressing my girls the same but I'm over that. So when I let Lexi pick her dress I tried to steer her in a direction that was complementary to her sister's but not the same. But in the end she just wanted to be like her big sister.

Photos for our Christmas album...

Close-up courtesy of Lexi, 3 yrs old.

For the past six years we have gotten together with family and friends for dinner and fun on Christmas Eve. Christmas crackers, the present game, and a visit from Santa... it's become tradition.

More photos for the album...

When we returned home the reindeer food was severed up outside on the step and a sufficient combination of cookies and chocolates and milk were set by the tree. Two girls were tucked into bed and within minutes their breathing was slow and heavy. Once all the Christmas magic was perfectly in place this is where I sat and reflected...

I was perfectly content. Relaxed. Calm. Full of joy and anticipation.

In the morning, Callie's were the first feet to hit the floor. Late by many kids standards at eight o'clock am. She comes to our room where we all snuggled and waited for Lexi to wake up. All huddled in our bed, Callie tells us how she woke up in the night and saw a shadow and she was convinced it must have been Santa.

Our Santa has found his gift giving groove over the years delivering something from each of the girls' wishlists and a surprise for both of them. Something unexpected that they didn't even know they would love. This year it was the gift of music.

The album continues...

And after these photos there was much more. Christmas breakfast. Visits from family. Turkey dinner. More family. More memories. But this is where I put my camera down and lived in the moment. Creating memories in my heart instead of the photo album.

I love, love, LOVE the Christmas spirit and the feeling it produces that cannot be put into words. We are truly blessed if we have nothing at all other than each other.
Happy Holidays.

About Me

I love making memories. I love my family - the one I created and the one I was born into. I love my friends who are an extention of my family. I love a well planned party, reasons to get dressed up, and singing out loud in the car. I love life's little details.